“Happy, always smiling, a friend to everyone. Everyone who knew him – I can say at least 200 to 300 people have come here to hug me and told me what a great kid he was. and how much love he just had for everyone,” his father, Craig Brown, told the station. “(He) wouldn’t hurt a fly, wouldn’t hurt anyone. (He) loved animals. He had this dog, you’d think this dog was one of his kids, man.”

Brown’s father speculated that the shooter and his son, the oldest of four children, might have gotten into a scuffle following a robbery attempt.

North Miami Beach coach Jeff Bertani said Brown played on the team for four years.

“He was phenomenal on the field for us,” Bertani said. “He loved every minute he was on that field. His personality was large on the field, his personality was large off the field.”